Work or Studies

I. Read the text and determine the subtitles of it.

IV. Discuss the content of the text in the form of a dialogue.

III. Make up a plan of the text in the form of questions.

II. Write down new words into your vocabulary.

TEXT 21

Accord­ing to research the most cash-strapped university students are jeopardising their chances of exam success by combining their studies with long hours in low paid jobs.

Half of those surveyed said they com­bined paid work with their studies dur­ing term-time and half focused solely on their academic work. Students who worked admitted they spent less time on academic work because of the demands of regular term-time jobs – typically in bars, pubs, cafes and shops – and often skipped lectures and handed work in late. For those working 15 hours a week the odds of obtaining a first class degree were cut by more than a third.

The results of the three-year study confirm the phenomenon of students who are forced into regular employment to pay for basics such as food and rent. It also shows that students from the poorest homes and ethnic minority backgrounds most likely to be working long hours to help pay bills.

The study, by researchers at London South Bank University and the Open University, is the first to confirm that students forced to work as a result of financial hardship suffer in terms of aca­demic performance.

The research project was commis­sioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Umbrella group Universities (UK). Around 1,500 undergraduates attending seven universities across the UK completed the survey in spring 2011.

Students tended to work in low-paid jobs and reported that their studies suf­fered as a direct result of their work. Many admitted missing lectures, producing poor quality assignments and having difficulty accessing libraries and computer facili­ties.

More than 80% said they spent less time studying because of their term-time jobs and nearly three-quarters spent less time preparing coursework. Many stu­dents believed that term-time working damaged academic performance – wor­ries that were well-founded. The more students worked during term-time, the lower their average end-of-year marks or final degree results.

Three-quarters of students had con­cerns about debts. Of those forced to work, more than a third (37%) spent most of their earnings on basics such as food and rent. Less than two students in every 10 spent most of their earnings on social life and entertainment.

Дата добавления: 2015-05-24